Reflecting in our Hearts: Mary and the New Year

The Church celebrates two things today, the more important is the Solemnity of Mary as Mother of God, the second, and less important, is the secular New Year.

Two weeks ago I preached about Mary as Theotokos, the God-bearer.  We looked at why she is rightly called the Mother of God as there is a strong Scriptural basis for it as well as very strong historical development of this dogmatic Truth as defined at the Council of Ephesus.  But, more importantly as I mentioned two weeks ago, as good as it is to understand and know the theology of Mary as Mother of God, the more valuable is to live like her.

At our fourth Sunday of Advent we could see Mary’s desire to share the Good News with her cousin Elizabeth.  This week I want to share about her, “Keeping all these things and reflecting on them in her heart.”  We find this passage “of Mary pondering these things in her heart” in a number of places.  In Mary’s meeting with Simeon when he prophesies about Jesus being the cause for the rise and fall of many in Israel and a light to the Gentiles he also warns Mary that a sword would pierce her own her heart.  She then reflects on what Simeon said and kept it in her heart.  She also ponders in her heart when they lost Jesus in Jerusalem and then found Him in the Temple and again today when the shepherds give praise, “And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.”

How often do we like our Mother, the Mother of God, reflect and keep in our hearts the things of God?  How much time do we give to prayer?  Since this is a New Year may be it is time to become more like our Mother Mary and pray not just more, but deeper and more reflectively.

As Catholics we love our rosaries, and rightly so, we love our Novenas, we have many and all good, we have intercessory prayer, always great to pray for someone else, we have set prayers, like the Our Father, the Hail Mary, etc., prayers that are Scriptural and filled with Tradition.  All of these prayers have their rightful place and should be practiced.  But we also have in the Church meditative prayer, reflective prayer, and contemplative prayer, all related with their center being on quiet discernment on Jesus or some other Christian mystery, i.e. God, the Holy Spirit, some Scripture verse, etc.

The quiet is uncomfortable, we are not used to praying that way and through history we have come to associate that type of prayer with monks and nuns.  We all need to reclaim that type of prayer in which like Mary we ponder these things in our hearts.

Conversation and friendship is a two way street, I talk, you talk, we both talk to one another.  When I do all the talking my friend will get bored, frustrated, and eventually want out of the conversation, because he can’t get a word in edgewise.  How can we hear Jesus when all we do is talk-talk or if we never quiet ourselves?

If we want to know God one way is to study theology, but through theology we will only know “about God,” we still won’t really know Him until we enter into conversation with Him.  Mary was chosen by God because she knew Him best, no one I believe reflected on God more and with tremendous quiet than the Blessed Mother.  And just maybe for this New Year she is asking us to do the same.  Be still in the presence of the Lord; find Him in the quiet, in the solace, in your hearts, where like Mary we will always keep Him.  AMEN.

Feast of the Holy Family: Family and Forgiveness

Today we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family, Jesus, Mary and Joseph.  I can only wonder at what it was like, their prayer life, their daily work, and the love that they shared.  It must have been pretty amazing, but I would also assume in many ways it was quite regular as well.  I am sure there was something magical about it, but just like everyone else they had to work, do their chores, and simply just work at being a family.  I am sure there were moments of worry, concern, and even frustration.

Today’s Gospel is a prime example of parents worrying for their child.  Jesus decides to stay back while the family leaves.  I am sure not a too unfamiliar story for most parents, a child getting lost.  When Mary and Joseph finally realize that Jesus is missing I can only imagine their concern and their being worried sick.  Jerusalem was a metropolis in those days compared to what Nazareth was like.  For three days Jesus is lost until they finally find Him preaching and teaching in the temple.

It was then that Mary and Joseph reveal their worry and concern, “How could you do this to us, we were worried sick,” and Jesus responds, “I must be about my Father’s business.”  I am sure that must have made them both pause, but I am also sure they felt great relief that he was safe.

We all know that the Holy family was holy, we have depictions, art work, icons, statues, and every other form of art telling us this, and they truly were holy for Jesus was full of grace and Truth, Mary was Immaculate and Joseph a good and righteous man.  Nevertheless they were not without suffering, worry or concern as all of us are from time to time.

What does this model of the Holy Family mean for our families?  Obviously we are to imitate the Holy Family as much as we possibly can.  However, our families also have concerns, worries, and even suffering.  We can go even further; our families have problems, be they small or great.  Many times we will hide our problems from others, we keep our dirty laundry to ourselves, because God forbid someone finds out my teenage daughter is pregnant, or my son is divorced and has remarried outside of the Church with no annulment and continues to receive the sacraments, or my father is an alcoholic, or my sister addicted to drugs.  No family is exempt from problems, some may not be so severe, but problems nevertheless.

What is the answer to these problems?  The answer is perseverance and prayer.  St. Paul calls us fighters fighting the good fight, he knew life was not easy, sometimes far from it, and fighters get knocked down but a good fighter will try to get up each and every time.  Families will try to stay together, for the most part, even with severe problems, they try to stick it out, but sometimes a family falls apart because it is dealing with a hurt that they think cannot be healed, and it usually centers on forgiveness.

St. Paul in his letter to the Colossians writes, “. . . bear(ing) with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.”

How many times do we hear of family squabbles that get out of control and before you know it brother stops talking to brother, daughter stops talking to mother, father abandons family, and all the rest?  Most of the times not being able to forgive deals with betrayal.  Someone has betrayed me, broke trust, or given up on me and the hurt that – that brings is sometimes too much and causes a break between blood, marriage or friendships.  We just find it impossible to forgive.

The question that remains is why do we find it impossible to forgive?  If we call ourselves Christians and good Christians at that then we must forgive as St. Paul writes and as Jesus Himself taught us, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

Still we find it hard and the excuses and logic we use are, he or she cheated on me, they lied about the money, someone broke my trust, someone lied (slander) about me and caused me great harm, someone in the family maneuvered themselves into a greater portion of the will of the parents, etc., etc.

We trick ourselves by thinking if we hold back forgiveness we somehow have power over the other, that we are causing them some pain, which we justify as justice in our own perverse way.  The reality is that we have no power over the other, nor are we causing them any pain, actually the reverse is happening, we are the ones in pain and justice is being done to us because we can’t let go.

Not being able to forgive is a sickness that festers right in the heart of the person and weakens the soul.  Forgiveness is everything.  If we can’t forgive we will walk in shackles and chains with heavy stones on our shoulders carrying evil around day and night.  I hate to be melodramatic, but it is true, withholding forgiveness does damage to us and keeps our family not holy but unholy.

If you have anger, hate, vengeance, or a strong desire not to forgive I ask you to remember Christ who forgave you for everything, even when you mocked him, spit on him, beat him, whipped him, put nails through his hands and feet, and he still looked down on you with forgiveness.  We all betrayed him, hurt him, and still he calls us friends.  What has your brother or sister done to you that could have been worse than what you did (we did) to Christ? Anger, hate, and vengeance will keep us prisoners in this life and the next, forgiveness will set us free now and also forever.  Amen.

Christmas: A Sharing of Quiet, Prayer, and the Contents of a Brown Paper Bag

           

           Christmas, what do I remember and hold cherish about this great holiday when Christ our Lord was born for us?  Last year right after Thanksgiving my dad passed away and last year’s Christmas seemed empty and my concern was for my mother.  This year seems a little easier, as time and our Good Lord begins to heal all loss and hurt.  But, what I recall and cherish the most is the greatest lesson I could have learned about Christmas and it was from my father.

          When I was a little boy my dad would leave me a special gift on my night stand so that when I woke up it would be the first gift I would see and the first gift I would open.  My father was born on a small island off the coast of Croatia; a little place called Susak or as it is called in Italian, Sansego.  My dad grew up poor, his dad was a farmer and wine maker so when Christmas came along my grandfather would fill paper bags with fruits, all kinds of nuts, and small chocolates for his children and leave those by their bed so when they woke Christmas morning they would have gifts.

          My dad did the same for me and my brothers.  And I could not wait to get into that bag when I woke up.  My dad already awake would be waiting for me in the kitchen.  I would rush in there and we would exchange a Christmas greeting and kiss and then I would sit at the table and share with him whatever was in the bag.  My dad use to be able to open the walnuts with his bare hands, crush them with his palm like they were paper and that would always make me wonder and look at him as being strong and manly.  We would not talk much just simply enjoy the quiet, the good fresh fruits, nuts, and chocolates.  Once we were done my dad would start to pray from his little prayer book and he would say the prayers out loud, he always prayed that way, and I loved to listen to him pray.  He would start off praying in Croatian, then a little Italian, and he would also sing Christmas carols.

          I loved those moments and cherished them as the greatest Christmas gift that I could have received from my dad.  Don’t get me wrong I loved to open my toys and games, but none of them every truly felt as good as when I sat with my dad eating the fruits, nuts, and chocolates out of a paper bag and then praying.

          I ask you, what is your Christmas like, what are your stories?  I imagine it is not as much to do with the presents as it is with spending time with your family and friends.  This is what Christ gives us this Christmas, two things, He gives Himself to us and then He gives us each other.  Remember Jesus when you go home, when you look at your spouse, your children, and children remember your parents, your siblings, and everyone in your family, they are the precious gift that God has given you, greater than anything you can wrap in a box or put in a card.  I will give you a little homework even though school is out.  When you return home either tonight or tomorrow, when you open your gifts, whatever is your custom take two to three minutes of quiet and prayer and reflect on Christ in the manger, with Mary and Joseph – the Holy Family.  Thank Jesus for His gift of grace to you and thank Him for your family, before you open any gift, because without Christ first, the other gifts have no meaning.

          Remember that this day unto you a Savior is born, Christ the Lord, our brother, our friend, our Lord and God right in our very homes, right in our very hearts, God bless you and Merry Christmas.  FJ

4th Sunday of Advent: Sharing the Good News

Whenever the 4^th Sunday comes this close to Christmas it is always difficult to give a homily without mentioning Christmas, hence blending this 4^th Sunday of Advent with Christmas, which I shouldn’t do since I will be repeating myself tomorrow and the day after boring you even further.  So, much to your delight I will keep this week’s homily brief.  As I was once told, “Be brief, be quick, and be gone.”

There are two themes from today’s Gospel that really stand out, that is “The Good News” and “traveling in haste to share it.”  Once Mary learns that she will be the Mother of the Savior, the Mother of God in fact, she quickly feels that she must share this Good News with someone.  She must have also been scared, since she would have to eventually explain to Joseph and to her parents the conditions of her pregnancy.

Nevertheless she also felt great joy, that God had blessed her beyond measure.  Off she goes to her cousin Elizabeth, to share with her the Good News but to also hear Elizabeth’s Good News, for Elizabeth is also pregnant with John the Baptist, the last of the Prophets.

The questions that remain for us are: Do I believe I have been given Good News and if so what do I do with it?  We have most definitely been the recipients of Good News, and that Good News is that we are loved beyond measure by an infinite loving God. 

Sometimes the Holy-days are tough and hard on people because they may be suffering loss or just simply suffering and the Good News seems far away, but it is not, Jesus is always in our midst.  Since we have been given this Good News, this message of salvation, like Mary and Elizabeth we must share it with others.

  

A Christian can never do anything else by his or her very nature; the Good News of God wants to pour out of us, for God’s Glory but also for us to share joy with others.  The Prophet Jeremiah understood this when he said, “. . . It (The Good News) is as if fire is burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones; I grow weary holding back, I cannot!” Jer. 20:9, (NABRE) If the Christmas spirit is really in us then God’s Word will also be burning our hearts and we can do nothing less than to share that which is in the very core of our being, Christ the Lord Himself.  Amen

FJ

We are the Glory of God

             

          

             The first reading today from the Prophet Baruch clearly tells us that we are God’s crowning achievement.  “Jerusalem, take off your robe of mourning and misery; put on the splendor of glory from God forever: wrapped in the cloak of justice from God, bear on your head the mitre that displays the glory of the eternal name.  For God will show all the earth your splendor:  you will be named by God forever the peace of justice, the glory of God's worship.” (Bar 1:5…)

            Many times in our faith we are challenged to do the good and to avoid evil, and homilies will take on that challenge, but every so often we need to be reminded of our goodness.  Any good coach, teacher, or mentor will challenge those he or she has been given charge of, they will also set the bar high – if they desire to achieve excellence, but every so often they will affirm their students, their players, and their protégés.  This is done so that those committed to the class, the team, the club, the cause, will not lose heart, that they will be made to feel a sense of worth and a sense of goodness.  This is no different than with God.  He challenges us for the most part but also reaffirms us and that is what is being done today in our readings.

            God did take on human flesh in Jesus Christ to come and save us, yes we are wounded and only Jesus can heal that wound, but we are also good, not just good, “but very good” c.f. Gen. 1:31, we are also fearfully and wonderfully made, (c.f. Ps. 139:14) and we are also as St. Irenaeus so beautifully puts, “Man fully alive is the glory of God.”

            What is good about us one may ask, since it seems that wars never end, sin goes from bad to worse, and every day the attendance at Church diminishes?  There is a lot of good; for starters, it is good that you are here.  But I also see goodness all around me.  Many of you give so much of yourselves, to your families, to your friends, your community – especially the family you have here at our Parish.  So many of you give of not just your money but your time as well and that has been humbling to me and also has served as a motivation for me to give back more, so I thank you.

            We also see a lot of good in this world.  Think of all the people who work and operate St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, Catholic Charities, Red Cross, Peace Corps, Volunteer Fire Fighters, Soup Kitchen Volunteers, CCD teachers, volunteer coaches, mentors, First Aid Respond Volunteers, UNICEF, and the list can go on and on.  So many give of themselves in concern for others and even people they do not know.  Think of the countless parents who take care of a gravely ill child, sometimes for years or decades – giving up everything for just moments of relief for their child!  We see the best of humanity in these trials.  Think of hurricane Sandy how many folks came together to help those in need, people from California spearheading projects that would send resources across the coast to aid us here.

            There is a goodness to humanity and it is clearly from the Divine spark that is found in the very core of our being, “made in the image and likeness of God.”  God says he will show the earth our glory and splendor, for we are truly good, of great value, and endless, fearless, and persevering in our love for each other.  Our worth is beyond measure, it is of such great value that God Himself became a man and showed us love personified and perfected in the greatest sacrifice of all, His Passion.  AMEN

FJ

Practice, Practice, Practice

Every good student, every good athlete, every good actor prepares diligently for their upcoming test, game or performance.  Even the highly gifted prepare well in order to polish up their skills.  Every single one of us does the best we can in order to excel in the thing we love.

Granted not all of us loved school, or sports, or even acting, I simply mention these as examples.  No matter what it is that we love we are usually extremely dedicated to it in order to become the best at it.  This doesn’t mean we don’t have our lazy moments, all of us need a “timeout” every so often, but nevertheless we usually plug away hard at what we love.

There are many important things that we hold dear in life, our family, our friends, charitable causes, hobbies, political interests, sports, leisure, etc.  We work so hard at these to achieve perfection.

A young couple will do so much to prepare for a perfect wedding day, parents will do everything they can to see that their children are well educated and brought up right, people will work through and through for that perfect dream house, the perfect vacation, and again the athlete trains day and night to become the best, as well as the actor, and the student.  Basically we give it our all.

It is this time of the Church year that she reminds us to prepare well, not just for a game, a test, or a production, but to prepare well for Christ Himself.

Think of how crazy we go preparing the house when visitors are coming for dinner.  The floors are swept, the windows dusted and cleaned, the best foods prepared, and our best selves are presented, and rightly so, but imagine now that Jesus was coming for dinner?  Think of how much more we would clean the house, serve our best food, wear our best clothes, and absolutely present our best selves.

We usually don’t think this way because Jesus doesn’t literally call or ring the door bell, but He truly does come to us.  And how would we prepare both our houses and ourselves if Jesus was literally coming to dinner?  Would we prepare more so than we do for a game, a show, a test, or if friends were coming for dinner?  All of us would say “yes.” 

Today is the 1^st Sunday of Advent, it is a season in the Church which is used for preparing ourselves for the literal and figurative coming of Christ – we remember when he was born literally in Bethlehem, but we also prepare a place in our hearts for him to be born on the 25^th of December.  So, the Lord has knocked on our door, he is asking to be let in, are our homes swept clean, are we wearing our finest clothes, have we prepared the best food, and have we been diligent in our Christian lives?  This is the time to do so if we have been a little negligent.

Often times people will ask, “how do I remain a good Christian, how do I prepare myself for the Lord?”  The student, the athlete, the actor all know what they must do, be it a method of study, rehearsing lines, or practice drills, the Christian also must follow some formula or method.

The fathers of the Church had a three pronged approach to the penitential season; they often spoke about prayer, fasting and alms-giving.

As Christians we need to pray and our prayer can take many forms, there is meditative prayer, which can be a meditation on a Scripture verse or an entire chapter, one can meditate on some aspect of the faith, on God, it can be many different things.  There is also petitionary prayer, making our requests to God.  There are also set prayers, e.g. Our Father, Hail Mary, the rosary, etc.  St. Paul challenges us to pray always.  He did not mean “to say Our Fathers” all day long that would be impossible, rather we should have a disposition towards prayer all the time, thinking of the Lord and feeling His presence, to say little locutions (e.g. Jesus I love You) throughout the day, etc.

Believe it or not the season of Advent is a season of penitence.  We should be offering spiritual sacrifices to the Lord.  We usually do not associate Advent with Lent, but it is the same type of season we are preparing ourselves for the Lord, in one case preparing for the Triduum, in this case for the birth of the Lord.  What kind of spiritual sacrifices can we make?  There are all kinds; they range from giving things up to taking up new things.  For instance if I love sweets, I would try to give them up.  If I talk too much, to quiet myself and listen or if I lack a virtue such as patience to take up the challenge of being more patient.

Alms-giving, this takes away sin as Scripture often reminds us.  Not simply giving from my abundance but to give from my first fruits – from my very means, hard to do indeed.  It is not just about giving money, but time as well.  There are so many good folks who need help, be those who come to soup kitchens, shelters, people still suffering from the effects of Hurricane Sandy, and the Church itself, meaning your local parish.

Jesus calls us to take seriously His breaking into the world, because it was not simply a onetime event, Jesus continues to break into our hearts all the time looking for a home and place to rest.  Have I prepared that place for Him deep within me?  If God is the most important thing in my life then I will make the most time for Him, more so than the dedicated athlete, actor and student.  They get ready for shows, tests, and games.  My friends we are getting ready for the birth of Christ, Our Lord and God!

King of kings and Lord of lords

Today we celebrate The Solemnity of Christ the King, a feast in the Church that affirms that Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16).  We will also begin the season of Advent next week which will then lead us into Christmas, when Christ our Lord was born.  Today’s feast is much different than Jesus’ first coming into this world.   When Jesus (the eternal Word) was born it was in Bethlehem in a manger it was by simple and humble means, not many people around except for a few shepherds and farm hands, along with some animals, it was humble indeed.  However, as the today’s reading points out the next time Jesus returns it will be magnificent, powerful, and awesome, a King on His coronation day. 

I want to look at two things, one) that Jesus is truly a King, but secondly that we too are royalty – we share in His Kingship.

During Jesus’ public ministry He was careful not so much to proclaim that He was King and this I think He did this for two reasons. One) The Jewish people were oppressed by the Romans, they were seeking a new King, someone like David and Solomon of old who would rise up, defeat the Romans, and return Israel to its former glory and freedom.  Two) the point of Jesus’ ministry was salvation, a repentance of sins.  I am sure Jesus could have freed Israel from under Roman oppression quite easily if He wanted to, but it wasn’t the time for it, as the message of “Repent and believe in the Good News for the Kingdom of God is at hand” (Mk 1:15) was much more pressing for “We were all dead in our sins” (Rom 5:8, Eph 2:1).

The other thing about Jesus as King is that it reminds us that Jesus will not come humbly the next time, but to judge the nations. (C.f. Mt. 25)  This type of Jesus is a little tougher to accept, we like the nice Jesus, the one who tells us, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt. 11:28, NIV).  All of us like the nice – cute little baby Jesus, who is tender, meek, and mild.  And it is true, Jesus is all of those things, for there is no one who has more compassion than Christ Himself, but Jesus is also the King of kings, and as a King He must rule and render judgment, He must be both just and administer judgment otherwise He would be no King at all.

We, are however, not to fear this Jesus as in fear meaning scared out of our wits, but rather to fear him meaning respect, wonder, and awe.  We must also invite the King of kings to look into our hearts and convict us if we have sinned in order to repent as Jesus reminds us to do so often through the Gospels.  It is the repentant heart that receives the Good News and not only receives it but it becomes engrained in us so deeply that we too share in the royalty of Christ. 

Jesus’ promises are true and we partake in them.  All who are baptized, by sharing in Jesus’ death and resurrection are made priests, prophets, and kings.  When St. Paul says we share in Christ’s death and resurrection he was not talking symbolically or using pious platitudes, he was being literal, everything that is Jesus’ is ours and we are so intimately united that we were on the cross with Him when He was crucified, we were also buried with Him in the tomb, but we also resurrected with Him on the third day, resurrected to new life. 

In that new life we share in Jesus’ ministry and role as priest, prophet, and king.  There is not enough time to discuss each of these, but since we are celebrating Jesus as King of kings I want to say this, “you and I are royalty!”  We don’t belong to just a group, a committee, or fellowship gathering; we belong to the Kingdom of God, royal, majestic, and eternal.

Isn’t it amazing that this God who is so different than us, so much more powerful than us, would give us everything?  It is hard to imagine, but it is answered by one word, “Love!”  We are loved beyond logic, beyond explanation, beyond what we could ever imagine.  Even with all of our flaws and sins, God breaks through our darkness, our sadness, and even our despair sometimes, and places a crown on our heads, reminding us, you are not only my friends, but I give you my kingdom, our Kingdom.

This is why we should not fear the end of the world as they say, but rather we should long for it, because it won’t be revealed to only a few in a manger in Bethlehem, no indeed, it will be revealed to everyone, and the glory of God will shine as we see our King coming to us, making all things new and giving us our final reward, life forever with our family – with our friends, and most of all with our God and Savior, Jesus Christ the King of kings and Lord of lords.  Amen. FJ

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

I am Thankful for:

            For being fearfully and wonderfully made. (Ps 139:14)

   For being known since before I was fashioned in my mother’s womb. (Jer 1:5)

            For every good gift the Father of Lights has given me. (Jam 1:17)

            For the peace in my heart. (Col 3:15)

            For being fully alive shinning the glory of God. (St. Irenaeus)

            For my family and remembering my dad. (Fr. John J)

            For all my parishioners, former students, and brother priests.

            For all my friends, especially my North Jersey Boys!

            For all the good food and desserts, we get a pass on Thanksgiving!

            For being called to the Priesthood, awesome – great joy – and tremendous responsibility.

            For being a Notre Dame FAN!

And most of all for all of those who founded this great nation, who came here on a wild hope and prayer, for making this nation free – built not just on bricks and mortar, but on their very blood, thank you and may you forever rest in peace for your sacrifices and labors, God speed.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! FJ

On Both Sides of the Blackboard

When I used to teach, no matter what class it was I would always incorporate a lesson I called, “What Makes You Happy?”  It was a neat little lesson and it wasn’t only for the students, in some ways it was directed back towards me and I imagine also towards all of you.  I want to give this lesson to you, but I promise I won’t put you on the spot like I did my students.

The class would begin by me asking, “Who or what is omniscient, omnipresent, eternal, prefect in every respect, etc. etc.?  All their hands would shoot up, since the answer was easy.  One wise guy, answered, “Me.”  All kidding aside, the answer is obviously, “God.”  I would then write God in small letters on the left side of the board and then put a line down the middle of the board leaving God all by Himself on the left side of it.  Here is where I tricked the kids, I would apologize to them and tell them I forgot roll call and would then take attendance.  Once done with that I would continue the lesson.

I then asked, “I want to know what makes you happy?  It can be anything, people, places, things, anything.”  The hands would begin to go up.  Some answers were obvious, some were interesting, and I’ll give you a sample.

1)    Vacation – Don’t we all love that

2)    Girl friend, boy friend

3)    Parents

4)    Siblings

5)    School – would get some chuckles here

6)    Chess

7)    My I pad

8)    My phone

9)    My car – or more accurately put – their parent’s car

10  My friends

11  Sleeping

12  Money – again mostly from their parents, a handful worked

13  Reading

14  Swimming

15  Sports

16  TV

And the list as you can imagine went on and on.  You may be asking, “What was the point of the lesson?”  I would then ask the students take a good close look at that blackboard, I mean really take a good look at it and then tell me what you see.  No hands would go up for a while until some brave soul would say, “Father John, God is small and all by Himself on the left side of the board.”  EXCELLENT observation.

God was small compared to things that made us happy.  No one would ever include God on the right side of the board, the lesson was full proof as they say and you may be thinking, well they were just teenagers, us adults would not answer that way.  Well, I did not do the lesson on you to avoid adult embarrassment.  We too would have left God on the left side of the board.  And thank the Good Lord that He is patient and understanding.  He knows our attachment to things and He sends us reminders, sometimes gentle, other times profoundly, “I am the Lord Your God!”

In today’s Gospel from Mark Jesus reminds us, “The first commandment is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12)

Everything is about happiness, all of us want it, we seek it, and we crave it.  We go to look for it in people, places, and things when Jesus gives us the answer.  If God is perfect, eternal, all knowing, ever present, then isn’t logical if I want to be happy He would be the first person on my list, since everything on the right side is not perfect.  My friends it is the simple order of importance, God first, everything else second.

Where are you in your life?  Is God small and on the left side of the board or is He big and on both sides of the board?  Happiness in things is fleeting, iphones go bad, vacations end, you can’t sleep forever, and we can’t play sports forever either, but God does not rust, nor end, nor remain asleep, no, God is always there and He wants to be on both sides of the board of our hearts.  Will we make it so?

Vacation

Dear Friends, I will be away the next two Sundays on vacation with family.  Reflections will resume for Sunday Nov. 4th.  God bless you all and thanks for visiting and reading my blog.  Peace of Christ...FJ

I Pleaded and Wisdom Came to Me

King Solomon, a great leader in ancient history, was known and renowned as wise, wealthy, and powerful.  God favored Solomon, because Solomon did not ask for power, prestige, or wealth, rather when he prayed he prayed for “Wisdom to rule this people, Israel.”  (1 Kings 3:4-9)  We also heard from today’s 1^st reading from the book of Wisdom in which King Solomon’s words are echoed, “I prayed, and prudence was given me; I pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.  I preferred her to scepter and throne, and deemed riches nothing in comparison with her . . .” (Wisdom 7:7)  Great leaders, be they King David or King Solomon, Caesar Augustus, Constantine, Charlemagne, or our own George Washington are remembered for their heroism, dedication, and virtue.  Today’s leaders look to them for inspiration, to gain experience, to be wise so that they can rule with justice and wisdom this vast and numerous people.

It is not just our leaders that need to seek wisdom, but we too as voters.  The great thing about our nation is that we get to choose whom we want in office, we call this the democratic process, it is not a direct democracy, i.e. we have an electoral college and then our elected officials representative (vote) for us – for our needs, wants – for our good, therefore making us an indirect democracy.  Nevertheless we have a say in it.  Again, it is just not our politicians who should pray for wisdom when it comes to governance, but we too should pray for wisdom to discern the issues and form our conscience and then vote accordingly. 

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued a statement on “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.”  In that document they focus on the issues that are important to us as a people, many of which are the very fabric of justice and the Gospel.

As you know, officials of the Church through the power and permission of the bishop, priests and deacons are to preach on the issues that are important to us, but we may not endorse any party or candidate, we for-go that privilege due to enjoying a tax exempt status.  Some may believe that is a disadvantage, but in reality it is an advantage as we can critique all parties, highlighting what is good and what needs to be addressed.

The USCCB has highlighted many issues central to Catholics when forming their decision in and how to vote.  These are the issues that are at the heart of our beliefs.  I will list the main topics at the end, but because of time restrictions will only focus on two here and get to the rest upon my return from vacation. 

Under human life the USCCB mentions the following issues: abortion, euthanasia, cloning, destruction of human embryos, genocide, torture, direct and intentional targeting of civilians and terrorism.  

As you know the Church according to Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition and the Magisterium, abortion for any reason is a grave and serious offense.  The respect and dignity of human life from natural conception to natural death is at the core of our beliefs.  Watching last week’s vice-presidential debate I would like to offer some insight on the issue of abortion.

Both Vice President Biden and Congressman Ryan accept the Church’s teaching on abortion, however, both left themselves a open to some critique.  Let’s start with VP Biden.  He claims that he accepts the Church’s teaching that human life begins at conception; however he does not force this belief on others.  It is true we cannot force our beliefs on others, but we as Christians must speak Truth.  St. Paul tells us to, “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. (2 Tim 4:2, NIV)  My first duty as a Christian, over and above any office I may hold is to preach Truth even if it means to be unpopular, against my political party, or if it means back lash.  We are to reproof, correct and admonish one another when we stray.  To say I will not force my belief on someone else is an easy way out and it allows for relativism to take hold, i.e. truth is to be determined by the individual according to his or her own beliefs.  As Christians, however we believe Truth is objective, the same yesterday, today, and forever, c.f. Heb. 13:8.  To be clear, we are NOT to force beliefs on others but we are to invite them to what we believe is true and good, and more so if they are Christians.

Congressman Ryan also believes in the Church’s position, however as running mate to Senator Romney whom he endorses, since he is his running mate, Senator Romney will allow for abortions in extreme circumstances, i.e. rape, incest, and to save the mother’s life.  Congressman Ryan is in a little bit of a pickle here, since the Church does not allow abortion under any circumstance.  One might think this cold and harsh, but direct abortion even to save the mother is still abortion, however if trying to save the mother the unborn baby dies, that is an indirect consequence of the medical procedure done to save the mother.  Basically, indirect abortion, for lack of better term, in which the main intention was not to kill the baby but to save the mother is permissible, the abortion was an indirect consequence of whatever procedure was necessary to save her.  Wow, that was a mouth full.    

In the cases of rape and incest we must make sure that we reach out to the victim and offer any help we can for healing.  I can’t even begin to give you sufficient answers in how to deal with that, for only pure and total trust in Christ to bring about a good form that kind of evil can offer the victim maybe even the slightest of hope and consolation.  Life can be brutal sometimes, because people make horrible choices sometimes.  When we comfort the victim - the mother to keep that child it won’t be a matter of theological discussion that persuades her, but rather she must see Christ in those who minister to her, and those who may minister to her could be any one of us.

I want to move on to one other topic of which I have not spoken yet, and that is capital punishment.  Sometimes this issue gets lost.  And what is ironic is that the same people who protect human life at natural conception are pro-capital punishment.  The teaching in the Catechism is clear, Capital punishment may only be used by those societies that cannot protect themselves against an unjust aggressor, for example, tribal and indigenous peoples who do not have jailing facilities.  Since we here in America can protect ourselves from the unjust aggressor then the means of capital punishment should not be employed.  Here is the quote from the Catechism.  

2267:  Assuming that the guilty party's identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor.

If, however, non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people's safety from the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means, as these are more in keeping with the concrete conditions of the common good and more in conformity to the dignity of the human person.

Today, in fact, as a consequence of the possibilities which the state has for effectively preventing crime, by rendering one who has committed an offense incapable of doing harm - without definitely taking away from him the possibility of redeeming himself - the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity "are very rare, if not practically nonexistent."

You can’t pray the rosary in front of an abortion clinic to save lives and then want people executed, it does not make sense nor is it compatible, we teach the respect and dignity of human life from natural conception to natural death.  As always people will bring up the exceptions and try to make them the rules, for instance, “Father John are you saying we should not put to death those who commit treason, or serial killers, rapists, and the world’s worst hardened criminals?”  That is correct; if those societies can protect themselves then they should not employ capital punishment.  No one is beyond redemption, “For God so loved the word that He gave His only begotten son . . .” (Jn 3:16).  It does not say, “except for the worst of sinners,” everyone has the possibility to be forgiven.  It seems that one party favors capital punishment while the other is moving away from it.

What then are we to do as voters, it almost seems that we must vote for a lesser evil?  Here is the honest truth, there is good in each party, there is also some things left to be desired – putting it mildly  in each party, the question comes down to which one or which persons are closer to those Truths we believe have been given to us by God?  These truths include to be free, to pursue happiness, and to be a just society that progresses in virtue.  The decision is ours, it is the privilege we have as Americans to vote, it is a great responsibility, one that should not be taken or influenced by party lines, but influenced by the King of Kings who speaks to our conscience, and be they a President or just the local priest with his congregation, Christ speaks to us all, what is He saying to us on these truths?

There are other issues as well please visit the USCCB at the following website http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/faithful-citizenship/ to better help inform you on the issues that are important to us as Catholics, the major issues are: Human Life, Family Life, Social Issues, and Global Solidarity.  There are many sub issues under each of the major ones, please take a look.

FJ

Slave to Christ or self?

The first reading for this Sunday from Genesis chapter two is a foundational scriptural passage dealing with marriage, family, and life.  God said, “It is not good for man to be alone.”  At first God created all kinds of living things, birds, cattle, wild animals, and yet none of them were Adam’s equal.  Therefore, from man God created a partner for him, an equal partner.  One that man could look to and see a reflection of his own nature, alike, but yet different.  God in his very nature, which is perfect in and of itself, needs nothing, and yet God still has this desire or innate quality to share with others his love.  God’s love points outward, to us.  We are made in God’s image so our love by nature points outwards, to others.

Today, however, because of a radical progressive ideology, love points towards self, i.e. I have the right to choose, be it an abortion, be it to end a marriage, and remarry, and remarry, and marry again.  I also have the right to do as I want for me, no one can tell me what to do.  But, from the beginning this is not how God intended it.

If we understand just one thing from all of today’s readings is that God wants us to look to others first, even before ourselves.  Is that not what Jesus did from the cross?  If he would have looked to himself only he would never have went through that suffering and would have left us stuck in the mud.  Jesus’ entire Gospel has to do with service towards others, be it healing, sacrifice, compassion, corporal works of mercy, and the list goes on.  All holiness is based on my charity (love) for others.  It completes man to love outside of himself and that is why God created an equal suitable partner.  

Now, God is not completed by creating us, rather we are created out love, God’s unquenchable, infinite, and glorious desire to share and he has given us a taste of it.  Why do you think we love to be with others, why people get married, why they love children, why we love our schoolmates, colleagues, why we love to be social?  We love all this because we are fulfilling our very nature.  The problem is as I stated we have turned this around on its head.

Many believe the Church cannot tell me to be pro-life  nor can the Church tell me whether or not I can remarry according to my own desires and wants, nor can the Church tell me what I can or cannot do in my private life.  I am a free person.  A radical sense of liberalism has created this type of thinking, even amongst Christians.  Scripture tells us something else.

This belief in a radical freedom of self is not only contrary to our nature, but when practiced is sinful.  St. Peter is clear, “Act as free men, do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bond slaves of God” (1 Peter 2:16, NASB) and from St. Paul, “Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ . . . Romans 1:1, NABRE).  We are not radically free to choose at our every whim and fancy always looking to please self.  No, we have responsibilities towards Jesus and towards neighbor.  Anything that points to self is greed, selfishness, and contrary to the grace and nature that we have been given.

Jesus tells the people, “Moses gave you the right to give your spouse a bill of divorce not because it was allowed by God but rather because of the hardness of your hearts.”  So too does radical freedom give us permissions to do “WHAT WE WANT.”  It has given us permission to end the lives of unborn babies; it has given us the permission to redefine marriage, the family, drug use, government and corporate greed, fighting one war after another, all because freedom says I can. 

Liberalism tells us it is forward thinking, it knows truth, that it is making society better.  Really?  Is that why thousands of babies never see the light of day, why 50% of all marriages end in divorce.  Is that why the rich get bailed out and the poor are left to dry?  Is that why our children are more stable now and better educated?  (Being sarcastic here!)  Obviously we are not better off now, but worse off.  We have turned to being slaves to self rather than slaves to Christ. 

St. Paul tells us we will become slaves to the one whom we serve?  I ask you (and myself) who am I slave of?  Am I slave to self and sin or am I slave to others and Jesus?  I pray the latter.  Anything else and we are not living according to our nature and more importantly not living according to God’s command, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

FJ

Some of the Last Things

In this week’s Gospel from Mark Jesus is real serious about the magnitude of sin.  As Christians we believe that “God is love” (c.f. 1 Jn. 4:8) and that “God is good” (c.f. Ps. 100:5).  We also believe that sin is evil and it must be avoided (c.f. 1 Thess. 5:22), because sin is contrary or better put, opposite of God.

Jesus understands that sin wounds and could lead to death (the possibility of separation from God).  No sin is good for us, though we fool ourselves into thinking so.  For even sin, as St. Augustine says, “seems like a good,” at least for a while anyway, until the Holy Spirit convicts us, which is a good thing.  So today, I thought could be a great teaching moment, on sin, hell, and judgment.  There seems to be so much confusion regarding these theological topics, some go way too far, some don’t go far enough, while some don’t even care.

The Church teaches that there are two types of sin, venial and mortal.  Venial sin is a sin that wounds our relationship with God.  Mortal sin is a sin that breaks our relationship with God.  All sin whether venial or mortal is freely chosen by us.  God never causes us to sin. 

“No one experiencing temptation should say, “I am being tempted by God”; for God is not subject to temptation to evil, and he himself tempts no one. Rather, each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire conceives and brings forth sin, and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death.” (James 1:13-15, NABRE)

Jesus is very adamant about the seriousness of sin, “if your arm causes you to sin cut it off.”  He is not being literal, since self mutilation would be a grave sin.  Rather, Jesus is trying to make a point that all sin is contrary to God and life.

But let’s get back to mortal sin for a moment.  There seems to be a great misunderstanding regarding mortal sin.  There are some who think many sins are mortal and then there are some who believe that hardly any are.  When we speak of grave sin we are talking about sins such as murder, adultery, apostasy (to renounce or formally abandon one’s faith), blasphemy (refusal of forgiveness or a serious transgression against the work of God), slander, to defame, to perjurer oneself, and there are more.  And yet, for these grave sins to be mortal three conditions must be present.

1)    The person must know the sin is grave

2)    The person has to freely choose it, i.e. a person’s free will is not being effected such as in the case of an addiction

3)    The sin actually is grave matter

If one or more of these conditions are not fully present then the sin is not mortal.  The greater question of curiosity for us is, “have I committed these sins?”  The possibility exists.  However, when a person lives a genuine faith, I say that it is improbable that a person would commit a mortal sin, because in the end when a person commits a mortal sin it is not only the sin they are committing but also openly rejecting God and the life of a being a Christian.  Again, one could do this, commit a sin that is mortal and constitutes a separation from God.  Scripture is clear,

If we sin deliberately after receiving knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains sacrifice for sins but a fearful prospect of judgment and a flaming fire that is going to consume the adversaries. (Hebrews 10:26-27, NABRE) and from St. Paul, “You are separated from Christ, you who are trying to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.” (Galatians 5:4, NABRE)

We can sin deliberately and fall from grace, even those who have faith, but it is not a sin of impulse, rather it is one that is premeditated and done regardless of what God asks of us.  It is also a turning from God himself.  The same decision that goes into following God is the same decision that goes into not following him.

To be clear, there is a mortal sin and we can choose it, it’s just not as easy as many people think, especially for those who have given themselves to God, the ones who live their faith genuinely.  I can’t stand when priests say, “Make sure you get to mass on Holy Days and Sundays otherwise you are in a state of mortal sin.”  How do they know this and who are they saying it to?  No one knows the human heart except for God.  I do not know if you have committed a sin that separates you from God unless you tell me and even then the three conditions must be met.  Also we are preaching to the choir, we are telling the people who do come to mass not to miss!

There is also great confusion with hell.  What is it?  Do people burn there for all eternity?  Is there a hell?  How can God send someone there?  I won’t answer them all, but there is a hell and basically it is eternal separation from God freely chosen by the person, i.e. God gives to us what we chose.  The problem is that some argue, “how can God let us chose hell, isn’t that harsh?”  God respects our free will.  He will do everything in his power to influence us towards the good and towards him, and will even give us the strength to do so, but we still have to say yes.

Hell is described as eternal fire because the torment of knowing we are separated from God for all eternity is hard to describe or even imagine, so, describing it as eternal burning makes the point.

When it comes to being judged by God all of us will face him and face him twice, the first time is the immediate judgment and the second time the final judgment or the judgment of the nations.  When we die we face Christ immediately, “Just as it is appointed that human beings die once, and after this the judgment . . .” (Hebrews 9:7).  The second time is the final judgment when Jesus will separate the goats from the sheep, c.f. Matthew 25:31-46.  The most important thing with judgment is that Jesus is the only one who will be doing the judging, not us, never us, and thank God not us!  This does not mean, however, that we cannot judge acts.  We must keep order and justice.  If a person commits a crime they are to be served justice, but we can make no mortal judgment determining who can be forgiven or who cannot.

This week’s homily is a tough one, Jesus delivers a message on the horror of sin, and all sin is horror when you think of it.  We must do everything with the grace God gives us to build up virtue and holiness in our lives, not in order to avoid hell, but to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect.  St. Paul talks about becoming slaves, the slavery to sin is death and loss of freedom, slavery to righteousness is life and freedom.  Think when you do something good or overcome a temptation, think of how good you feel, how truly free you are, and think now of the opposite, the crummy feeling we have when we do sin, we then feel guilt and shame. 

What then is the Good News Father?  Well, the Good News is this, God is patient, he is forgiving even when we sin mortally, and most of all he desires that we all make it to be with Him.  That is the Good News, God giving us life, grace, and the ability to be free – to be holy.  Therefore go and sin no more.

FJ

PS  You still have to get to mass every Sunday and Holyday of Obligation :)